DDYER@USC-ISIB.ARPA (08/28/84)
From: Dave Dyer <DDYER@USC-ISIB.ARPA> Please correct me if I'm wrong, but... I believe that nuclear powered sattelites are powered by short lived isotope decay, which is converted to electricity by thermocouple. Full scale reactors are too big and too heavy for satellites, not to mention too tricky to operate without constant supervision. ...and... The objection to NERVA is that its normal exhaust gas would be radioactive, and that a crash would spread uncounted zillions of curies on the earth below. -------